From left to right: 1) Viselli Santoro working magic on my hair once again. 2) Got these new heels from Payless for only $20 but they look so expensive. 3) Friday means donut day. 4) Drinks with the girls after work. 5) Hanging with some artwork. 6) Checking out the new Boston Public Market.

I’ve been about high waisted pants for a long time, but it took me a while to come around to the idea of high waisted flare pants. I eventually went for it when I saw this gorgeous burgundy pair. And I couldn’t do a ’70s Series without bell bottoms, could I? I paired mine with this polka dot pajama shirt and nude heels to modernize them.

Now that you’ve seen my ’70s Series, what do you think? Is the trend worth exploring or should we have left it in the past? The other posts can be seen here, here, and here.

The next look in my ’70s Series is this oversized jacket that I’ve fashioned into a dress. To be fair, it errs on the side of the ’80s (and as my co-worker pointed out, the side of Madonna) but I’ve been dying to post it. The jacket was another one of my Parisian thrift store finds (see also this, this, and this). It’s the perfect blend of sexy and cool with the satin finish and edgy moto zippers. I paired the jacket/dress with nude heels and a gold choker necklace to keep the emphasis on the garment.

Wouldn’t this outfit translate great into a Bond movie? I’m prepared to accept the role.

Bell sleeves were a hallmark of disco style, so I had to make it the theme of my next post in the ’70s Series. While the first post was a more punk look, this pink dress is elegant and ladylike. The cleopatra necklace in a utilitarian metal and the nude pumps bring the look into the modern day but the sleeves keep the outfit’s inspiration firmly rooted in the past.

Welcome to the first installment of my ’70s Series. The 1970s are back in a big way this fall and though I was skeptical at first I’m coming around to some of the trends. The key is to modernize the look instead of just recreating your dad’s favorite disco style. This series will take four different trends from the ’70s and show how you can bring them into the 21st century. Our first stop: fringe.

Fringe is one of the more prevalent trends flying back onto shelves. Instead of opting for a suede (because honestly, ew) I went with my typical leather. I found these vintage shorts at SoWa and paired them with black booties and a retro batman tee. The monotone black and grey color palette makes the fringe look sophisticated rather than cowgirl-ish. The superhero tee and leather also makes it a little rock-and-roll, a little more Black Sabbath than Donna Summers.

For this series I collaborated with a photographer I’ve long had a creative crush on. Stephanie Krist is an incredibly talented woman. Not only does she do photography but also calligraphy, painting, and many other creative projects. It was a blast to work with her on this series, you can check out her work here.

You all know how much I love my Russian authors, so it’s no surprise that I reverted back to Dostoevsky for this month’s What I’m Reading. This is a collection of his short stories, also translated to “A Nasty Story” and “A Most Unfortunate Incident.” I’ll be focusing on the title story. For those of you who are new to Russian lit, something like this would be a good way to get your feet wet. The satirical story follows Ivan Ilyich Pralinsky, a civil servant who (surprise) gets drunk and starts spouting philosophy. Ivan decides that his new way of life should involve being nicer to people of lesser status than himself. To do this he ends up crashing a wedding and, instead of becoming friends with the “common” people, makes a complete fool of himself. He gets increasingly drunk and ultimately becomes sick. The happy couple can’t just ditch him for fear of him dying, so they are forced to let him sleep in the only available place – the nuptial bed.

Although this story lacks the psychological complexity of much of Dostoevsky’s other works, it isolates his comedic gift. This could well be an episode from a TV show a la The Office or 30 Rock. It’s a very quick read and immediately rewarding. Naturally I would recommend any and all Dostoevsky to you. But the humor in Russian literature is one of its most undervalued aspects and this story is a great showcase of that comedic value. Full of slapstick style moments, A Disgraceful Affair is a middle ground between high-brow Russian novels and low-brow comedy sketches.